Chasm of Misery
by Jaymz
Summary: Oh don't talk of love the shadows purr, don't talk of worlds that never were. The end is all that's ever true, every night I burn, waiting for the world to end...
1. Notes

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**Disclaimer:** I hate writing these at the start of every chapter, so I will say this once and only once. I do not own Escaflowne, the characters, places, settings and merchandise pertaining to the anime, film or TV series. Ownership of the aforementioned is reserved to Bandai & Sunrise. Neither do I own any recognisable name, brand, real person (living or dead), place, merchandise, logo, band, lyrics, literary works, quotes, movie…put it this way if it's recognisable then chances are that it doesn't belong to me, unless stated otherwise. The following fic, however, is mine. Any similarity to persons (living or dead) and situations (as if) is purely coincidental.

Phew, now that's done I won't be saying it again. I think I've pretty much got myself covered. There would be no use in suing me anyways, I'm a student, therefore I have nothing but the change in my pocket and I intend on spending that on coffee. So ha.

Reviews are welcomed with open arms. But not essential, I'll continue writing it with or without any feedback…unless it turns out really bad. I even like constructive criticism, but not flames. Please don't flame me; I'll only laugh and no one likes being ridiculed.

**Rating:** 'R' for profanities, gore, battle scenes and possibly adult themes later on, who knows? You have been warned.

**Dedications:** To the ever patient Izzy. If you're even reading this one. _Black Dragon General _is on hiatus at the moment. Here's something for you to read in the meantime. I hope you like it!

For my own Darth Vader, you know who you are.

**Updates:** Don't hold your breath. Sometimes I can take **ages **to get in gear and update.

On with the show!!

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	2. So Tired

_Chasm of Misery_

By Jaymz

Part One:  Unknown time before the Dragon War.

_All my hope is gone.  Devoid of all emotion, I reside in a chasm of misery.  Set me free._

Chapter One:  So Tired

Hidden in amongst the forests of green, in the great state of Michigan lies the sleepy town of Blossom Hill.  With a population no bigger than thirteen thousand, one high school and numerous churches of the faith, it's safe bet to say that this small town is just that…small.  Painfully so; Adia Rayne often said to anyone that would listen to her complaints that it was "Impossible to sneeze in this damn town without someone at the other end catching a cold."  It was everything that a clichéd small town should be.  The people were so nosey it was almost frightening; anything that they considered to be outside of their absurdly small box was regarded as a taboo, and was most certainly not accepted.  We don't need no freaks ruining our town, thank you very much.  

Recently Blossom Hill had gone into modernisation, on paper at least.  At the newer end a shopping complex was being built, not far away from the high school.  The education building sat back in perfectly tended grounds.  Built only 20 years previously it was modern looking, with large windows that looked out onto the neat sports field at the back and the well-tended squares of grass at the front.  The high school was built on the lower plains of the town.  On this eastern side was where the new developments were, the brand spanking new housing tracts sat there.  Despite being up to date, full of all the mod cons and bankruptcy inducing expensive, Adia thought them to be eyesores.  The gardens had yet to bloom, leaving stark white houses sitting against mounds of loose brown earth with twigs sprouting out here and there that were vainly trying to be trees.  Maybe in a few years they wouldn't look so bad.  Maybe.  

Adia and her family didn't live on these tracts.  Thank God for small mercies.  The Rayne family lived at the other end of town, the older side more colonial and _tasteful_ in style.  Running out of the western side of the town was a small, winding road.  Through thick forests it twisted, tight left curves giving way into long straights that were great to drive on at high speeds.  On a right turn there was a narrow and unkempt earthy trail that led down to the Rayne household.  Blossom Manor to be precise. These days it was no longer a manor, in size it was smaller than the new houses and in light of the new mansions that were built along a certain stretch it was almost completely forgotten.  Adia's father was a town planner and made big bucks in Blossom Hill, he was originally from Bangor, Maine and her mother was a Blossom Hill native.  The only reason that they lived in the old house was because Ruth Rayne had loved it ever since she was a child, and when he could afford it Ben Rayne bought it for his family.  The house was so old that it creaked in the night.  Sheltered by thick forests it was hidden away from the rest of the town.  No one ever really ventured out to this side anyway.  It was only 3 miles from the town centre, but there really was nothing of interest out there, and so the Rayne family lived peacefully, cut off from the rest of the world.

Adia loved the house though.  The exterior brickwork may have been old and worn, the porch steps may have groaned under-foot, the corridors might be chilly at night and the graveyard on the grounds may have been so damn creepy, but it had _history_.  It was like a tangible connection to the past, when life wasn't so mass-manufactured and simulated.  

As much as Adia loved the creepy old house and the acres surrounding it, she couldn't wait to get out of Blossom Hill, like her older sister Jane had done.  Jane was the eldest child of the Rayne family and was a sophomore at Yale.  Goddamn having such an intelligent sister as a predecessor.  The only time that Adia was going to see the interior of Yale was in the pictures that Jane brought home.  Adia was a senior at Blossom High and was dying for the year to end; the days stuck in the bleak classrooms seemed to drag by.  What made it even worse was that it was only the end of September; senior year was only a few weeks old. 

She wasn't a stupid girl, and had managed to scrape average grades, good enough to get into colleges, just not prestigious ones.  Not that she minded really, she didn't care where she went as long as it was a city, preferably as far away from Blossom Hill as was geographically possible.

In time, Adia would find that her wish to vanish from Blossom Hill would not be all it cracked up to be.

~

Piercing her dreams like a pulsing klaxon the alarm clock next to her bed invaded Adia's sleep hazed mind and continued on until her arm shot out from under the sheets and batted at it until it ceased.  Pulling down the crumpled oxford blue sheet she cracked open an eye and looked at the red digits in the morning light.  It was only 7am.  

"Just 5 more minutes..." she mumbled sleepily rolling over, her head already shoved under the sheets. 

"Adia!"  She heard her mother yell, the door open and her mother's shoes clip off the wooden floors as she stormed into her middle daughter's bedroom.  The curtains were thrown open, spilling light into the dark room.  The sheets were yanked away from her in one swift tug, and painfully slowly Adia opened her eyes.  For a moment she could see nothing but white light, squinting her hand rose to shield her eyes and she groaned in the back of her throat.

"Bright light…what time is it?"  She mumbled.

With the sheets under her arm Adia's mother shot her a look before striding out the room,  "It's late!  You have 10 minutes to get to school."

Luckily for Adia, her mother was out of earshot when she looked at the clock, "Shit!"  

In record time, Adia was up and dressed for school.  Grabbing her bag she fled down the stairs nearly tripping over Fred, their elderly beagle as he lay snoozing in a patch of sunlight.  Affectionately patting his velvety head she jogged out the front door, across the gravel drive to her car.  

Despite being fairly well off, her parents had not seen fit to purchase Adia a car, leaving her to her own devices.  She had a weekend job at the local library, and with the wages had managed to buy a car.  Ford Escorts were a dime a dozen really, and the engine didn't purr like a Chevy, but it started first time, every time.  Today it roared to life as Adia turned the engine over and slipping into reverse shot backwards before taking off at a high speed, gravel pinging against the trims spraying up to six feet behind her.  Taking a look at the slim silver watch on her wrist she knew that she'd never make it to homeroom in time.  She may only be a few miles from the school, but it was on the other side of town, and the road that led into town was thin and windy.  Putting her foot down against the gas she reached down and switched the stereo on, her fingers tapping against the steering wheel as she expertly negotiated the car round tight curves.  The strained, angst ridden voice of Mark Lanegan filled her ears as Adia turned the stereo up louder and hummed along,

*The hour is ending, can't you see  
There is no way now, to get free  
In the shadow of the season  
Without a reason, to carry on  
Without a reason, without a reason*

Her foot pressed the gas pedal further down, her grip on the wheel tightening as she took tight corners hard and fast.  The sound of the Screaming Trees filling her ears and hitting something deep inside her core, she sang along with Lanegan, 

*And from the north woods  
Down to the valley  
In a world of hurting, I'm moving on  
And from the lighthouse  
Out on the ocean  
Can't climb the mountain, so very tall

Said Lord please give me what I need  
He said there's pain and misery  
Oh sweet oblivion feels alright*

The trees screamed by her in a green blur.  The tiny needle on the speedometer inching closer and closer to the right.  Up ahead she was coming up for Dead Man's Curve.  The town was such a cliché that it was sickening.  However, the bend of the road was a serious threat.  It was a tight left curve, the road doubling back on itself as it wound tightly against the hard packed tree line.  It was also downhill, but the worst part was not really the bend itself, but what lay beyond it.  The left turn was so sudden on the road that if someone didn't know about it and missed, they'd surely shoot off the end of the road ahead and plunge to their deaths.  The bend was hard to take, and had to be done so slowly, if not the car would continue straight and drop off the end of the road.  If one day she was to take that downward left curve wrong it'd be the end of her.  At even a reasonable speed it would be hard to avoid.  She'd crash through the feeble barrier and face a seventy-foot or so drop into the pine trees and jagged rocks that lay below.  It was not a prospect that filled her with joy. 

Dropping down gears she slowed the car and gently rolled down the road, the scratched barrier glinted in the light and she felt a chill crawl up her spine.  Shaking her head, Adia tried to lose the feeling that she was just going to keep going straight.  Foot on the brakes she guided the vehicle safely round, and before she was even out of the turn her foot was back on the gas, the black car speeding towards town.  

The Screaming Trees played on, seventeen year-old Adia singing along on a sunny autumn Monday morning.

*The hour is drawing ever closer  
And rolling over, won't let me be  
In the shadow of the season  
To find a reason, to carry on

Said Lord please give me what I need  
He said there's pain and misery  
Oh sweet oblivion

_She calls me onward to her side  
And feels her song deep inside   
And find a reason_

_In the shadow of the season  
To find a reason to carry on  
In the shadow of the season  
To find a reason to carry on  
Find a reason to carry on  
To carry on  
To find a reason to carry on  
To carry on*_

When she hit the long stretch that was the main road that ran through the heart of Blossom Hill, her foot eased off the gas and the car slowed to the legal limit.  On either side neat rows of buildings lined the wide road.  People bustled in about the shops going about their day-to-day business in a repetitive manner.  Adia saw it every morning.  Suddenly she felt a sharp piercing of hot pain in her temples.  A sheen of sweat broke out across her face and she swallowed thickly. The headaches were getting worse these days; sometimes the pain was so intense she felt as though an axe had been plunged into the centre of her skull.  The pain pulsed with fervour.  Gritting her teeth, which really did not help, she eased the car onwards and coasted towards the school parking lot.  

Finding a bay at the far end of the lot she cut the engine and massaged her temples.  It hurt so much, like hot pokers piercing her brain.  Several metaphors and similes ran through her head, but it was still pain.  No matter how much she decorated it with fancy words, it still hurt like hell.  Reaching into the glove box, she checked to make sure that no one was around.  Not that they would be, one look at her watch showed that first period was about to start.  Her fingers laced round a small white prescribed bottle and she tugged it out from under the CD boxes.  Adia's hand shook as she fought against the child-protector cap.  Finally it gave way and she shook a few little round white pebbles into her palm.  Popping them into her mouth she took a long swig of water and swallowed hard.  Her eyes screwed up as she felt them go down.  Hopefully they'd take effect soon.  With the bottle still clasped in her fingers she stepped out of the vehicle and crossed the parking lot to the main building.  Down the street a green and black garbage truck crawled along the kerb towards her, wrapping the bottle in an empty bag she disposed of it in a near-by bin.

Just as Adia was opening her locker the bell sounded the start of first period, her history class.  Not paying any attention to the noise and hustle bustle around her she searched through her neat locker to find her history texts.  A hand landed on her shoulder and a cheery voice bubbled in her right ear,

"Boo!"

She turned round, brushing the hair away from her eyes to see her closest friend Rose Het standing behind her.  The other girl's flame-red hair was hanging around her face in wayward curls, an enthusiastic smile on her open face.  Seeing the look on Adia's face, Rose pulled her smile down into a grimace,

"Whoa Adia, you look like shit."

She rolled her eyes and weaved her way past a group of giggling freshman, "Really, now.  Thanks a lot Rosie, I didn't think I looked so bad this morning."  She turned over her shoulder and grinned lightly to show she was kidding.  

Rose fell in step and put on her high wattage smile, Adia almost being blinded by her white teeth.

"You bleach this morning?"  She teased.  The redhead smirked as Adia pretended to shield her eyes.

"Of course.  Listen, Adia…" her tone became softer, her hazel eyes probing, "…Are you really ok?  I mean; are you sleeping enough?  Are you sleeping _at all_?  Not to be offensive but you don't look all that hot these days."

Adia swallowed the urge to scream at Rose and to tell her to mind her own business and forced her tone and smile to be light,

"I'm fine.  Honestly!" she assured her sceptical friend, "It's just that I'm totally swamped with work and the parents aren't any better."

Rose seemed satisfied enough and nodded sympathetically, "Jane back in town is she?"

Adia wrinkled her nose, "Hmm, came back on Saturday, had to sit through an entire dinner of parental praise.  Thought I'd spew my roast chicken."

Rose giggled and Adia found that it made her teeth itch.  She felt guilty for it, but her best friend was irritating her as of late.  As was everyone.  All she wanted to do was sleep forever and for everyone to leave her the hell alone.  She tried but it never worked, she'd fall asleep but when she woke everything was the same and no one had missed her while she was gone.

Rose picked up the conversation, her voice soon becoming dulled as Adia zoned out.  Her eyes wandered around the halls, everyone seemed so happy, as though they all had control of their lives.  Adia felt that her life had slipped away from her and there was no way she could get it back.  If she died, no one would notice or care.  Cold apathy seeped into her soul until it was numb and her heart cold.  Her future looked bleak, she could see no light on her ever-darkening horizon. 

Adia had lost all hope.  Life was a toil from day one, trudging from day to tedious day, living her life to everyone's expectations until the day she was old and grey.  On her deathbed she'd look back on her life and realise that she'd wasted it and had achieved nothing.

Adia couldn't sleep at night, her mind plagued by nihilistic thoughts; she just wanted it all to stop, for everyone to leave her alone.  In her darkest of nights Adia just wanted everything to end, for the world to be engulfed in a black tidal wave.  Some days she didn't even feel alive, it was as though she'd died inside and all that remained of her was a shell.  A shell that aimlessly wandered the halls and no one was any the wiser.  In the mornings she'd look in the mirror and not recognise the young woman that stared back at her.  She'd paw at her cheeks, seeing the flesh move under her fingertips but not _feel_ it.  Some nights she bled just to know she was alive, it was the fire of pain that flared through her system that reassured her that she could still feel something.  

Beside her Rose continued on, her voice becoming muffled, as though Adia was hearing it under water.  That was how she felt, like she was drowning, going under and no way to pull herself up again.  The dark beckoned her and she welcomed it.

"Adia?"

Slowly, dark eyes moved away from the distance and rested on Rose's face.  The redhead almost took a step back, the dead eyes of her best friend sending a chill down her spine.

"You ok?"

"Peachy."  Adia turned away and took a seat at the back of the history class.  She ignored Rose's hurt look and tried to shrug off the encroaching feeling of claustrophobia.

~

As if waking from a dream, Adia found herself standing in front of her locker.  The halls around her were empty, she felt at ease on her own, but at the same time an aura of aching loneliness surrounded her.  The locker door banged shut, its hollow echo bouncing down the hallway.  It was early afternoon, and as a senior her day was finished.  Turning to leave, she let out a small gasp of surprise as wide blue eyes appeared in front of her.

The girl that had seemingly materialized in front of her popped her gum and regarded Adia with an irritated look.

"Geez, you zone out again, Adia?"   

Her brow furrowed in impatience at her younger sister, "What is it Amy?"

Gum popped again, "Can you give me a ride home tonight?  I've got cheerleading practice and Mom can't pick me up.  Please?"  Amy looked up at her sister, her eyes wide and innocent, blonde hair falling round her cheeks giving her the look of angel.  It was a look Adia knew only too well, Amy used it on everyone to get what she wanted, and it worked.  Wanting nothing but to be alone, she let out a harsh sigh and touched her fingertips to her forehead.

"What time?"  Her voice sounded distant even to her own ears.

Another pop, "Dunno…before five I guess.  You'll be in the library?"

"Yes.  Come find me when you're done." 

By the time she had opened her eyes, Amy was gone, the hallway empty and she was alone again. 

The library was empty apart from Miss Low at the front desk.  She glanced up over the top of her glasses as Adia walked in then returned to her woman's magazine.  Finding a seat at the back of the library she dropped her bag to the desk and lowered herself into the chair.  For a few minutes Adia sat in the silence of the library her mind flitting from thought to thought.  Eventually she reached down into her bag and pulled out a pad of paper.

She had every intention of getting some work done, but in fifteen minutes all she had was a few doodles in the corner and the spattering of her cursive writing of thoughts across the lines.  A look at her watch showed that she has a good few hours to kill before she and Amy left for home.  Faced with hours of sitting in silence and doing nothing, Adia rifled around her bag until she found what she was looking for.  Pulling out the chocolate bar she unwrapped it and took a bite, she knew she'd be adding to her already softening middle, but found it hard to care.  Not as if she had anyone to look good for anyway.  Crumpling the wrapper into a ball in her fist Adia dropped it into her bag and rested her head on folded arms.

Almost instantly sleep pawed at her eyes, she let her lids droop down and the thick blanket of sleep covered her.

It was one of those bizarre dreams when she knew that she was dreaming, but it still all felt so real.  When her eyes slowly opened, Adia found herself standing at the roadside.  Everything around her was so still, the leaves didn't move, the sky a stagnant clear blue.  The silence was heavy; she tuned her ears, trying to hear even the slightest of noise.

"You won't find anything here."

A voice startled her and she turned to see a man standing at the edge of a curve.  Before Dead Man's Curve stood a tall and rather odd-looking man.  His aqua hair spiked away from his head, eyes of different colours bore into her, the look in them so familiar that she felt her stomach drop.  

"What?"  Her voice sounded too loud in the silence and she cringed.   

He raised one arm, his cloak dropping away from his shoulder and rustled, the sound almost maddening to her.  "You won't find what you're looking for here."  He gestured around them, his voice was flat, lacking in any tone.  Yet it held the undertones of a very powerful man.  She found herself dumb, and could only stare at the man before her.  

"You and I are alike." He went on; she wanted to ask how, whom he was.  But found herself unable to, as if following an unspoken command.  "Come with me and I can make it all go away.  Give me your power and I can make your darkest dreams come true."

_What power?  _

At her whispered thought the sky above her began to swirl, black bled into blue and the roadside vanished as walls of black engulfed them.  It stretched beyond her for aeons, yet in it he remained in her sights, lit by a source-less spotlight that beamed from above.

Swallowing, she found her voice and it echoed softly around them, "Who are you?"

The tiniest of superior smiles lifted the corner of his straight-lined lips, "Your saviour."

"Saviour from what?"  Could this really be true?  Could he be here to bring her nihilistic thoughts to fruition?

He smirked this time, his eyes cold and unwavering, "You know very well what I mean.  Come to me, call me and I'll make it all end."

A hand clamped onto her shoulder and Adia shot upwards from the desk, her eyes wide and darting around the room.  A clipped voice snapped from behind her, 

"The library's closing now, you need to leave." Miss Low cast her a disapproving glare before heading back to the front desk, muttering about the improper use of libraries.  

Hastily grabbing her things Adia left the library and tried to shake the dream from her mind.  She jogged down the empty corridors, her footfalls bouncing down the halls displacing their origin.  

Before Adia stepped outside, she stopped at the main doors and peered into the darkness.  While she'd been asleep a storm had rolled into over the small town.  The clouds blocked out all light and sheets of rain pounded the ground.  Growling in irritation Adia pulled her thin jacket around her and lifted the collar before sprinting out into the cold.  The rain lashed down on her, stinging and soaking her in seconds.  Cursing her spoilt little sister Adia ran down the steps and headed towards the football fields.  Past the bleachers she found the field to be empty, various spotlights shone down through the pitch black.  A shudder snaked up her spine, the scene reminding her of the dream.  From the dark a figure in the school colours of red and orange jogged towards her.  His shaggy hair was plastered to his forehead and Adia reached out an arm to stop him, she recognised him to be on the football team, but didn't recall his name.

"Have you seen Amy?"  She called out over the pounding of the rain.

He shrugged her off and swept his hair out of his eyes, "She just left with Tim."

As he moved past her Adia couldn't keep the growl of anger within her.  Typical Amy to go home with the bloody quarterback while her sister hung around waiting for her.

_Just you wait till I get back home you little brat_, she snarled mentally.   

Hefting her bag onto her back, she ran as fast as she could to her car.  Her new trainers squeaked and slid on the grass as she ran across the front lawns of the school.  Across the lot she dashed, her chest constricted as she gasped for breath the cold air stinging her throat and lungs.  _God, I really am unfit._  

Once in her car she fired up the engine and turned on the heater.  Adia sat for a few minutes wringing the water out of her hair and attempting to warm herself.  Pain pricked behind her eyes and another titan of a headache stormed her brain.  For a second her vision blurred and she felt nauseous.  Maybe she should just call her Dad.  _No, then I'd have to do some explaining.  I can deal with this; I just need a few minutes.  Damn it, why did I throw away those pills?!_

After several deep breaths the pain receded to more tolerable levels and Adia found herself able to function again.  Backing out the bay she pointed the nose of the car home and rolled out the lot.  

Through the main streets of Blossom Hill she crawled along, the rain was so heavy that she could barely see past ten feet.  The wipers frantically sped back and forth as she leaned forward straining to see in the dark.  The streets were quiet, no one daring to brave the storm.  A strong wind hit the side of the car and Adia had to grip the wheel to stop her from being knocked off course.

Out past the main part of town the country road wound away from her and into the darkness.  Keeping to a low speed she crept along cursing Amy every inch of the way.  The pain in her temples began to increase; sharp pinpoints behind her eyes, Adia rubbed her forehead and gripped the steering wheel so tight her knuckles were white.  Pressing her foot down a little harder on the gas she urged the car ahead faster, wanting nothing to get home and retreat to the black warmth of sleep.  Unbeknownst to Adia, underneath her the car was aquaplaning.  Adia was going so fast upon the wet roads that the tread of her tyres were filling up with water lifting the car off the road and giving the tyres no friction.   Momentarily blinded by pain she felt herself being pulled back by unconsciousness, she snapped back in time to see Dead Man's Curve looming before her.  

Adia slammed on the brakes too late, the tyres having no grip on the road still spun under her.  The speeding vehicle refused to slow and stayed on course as it ploughed through the metal barrier.  Adia screamed as the car smashed through the blockade, the car jolted as it contacted with the barrier then the screeching of metal twisting and giving way filled her ears.  The car was airborne the headlights cut twin paths of light through the dark rain; thick layers of trees carpeted the rocky ground below.  In slow motion the front end began to tip downwards, then as though its strings had been cut, plummeted to the ground.  

She screamed her throat raw in terror as the car dropped down vertically.  It cut through the trees, the branches whipping at the car, the windows shattered into thousands of shards that showered in on her.  The Escort's front end smashed into the ground below with a blow that reverberated through the body of the car.  Continuing with its momentum the back end flipped over, crashing onto its roof.  The ground was slippery and muddy, setting the car into a deadly roll.  It bounced down the steep hill, the shattering of glass and shrieking of metal as it twisted and folded in screaming in her ears.  With one last flip through the air the car landed on its roof, rocking like an upturned beetle.  The rain still pounded down, the flickering headlights cutting paths of light through the darkness.  

Stunned and in shock Adia remained still for a second or so.  When what had happened finally registered in her brain, white-hot pain shot across her left side.  Reaching down with a shaking hand she pulled her hand back up to her face, warm sticky fluid tainted her fingers.  _Oh god, I'm bleeding…_

Her head spun as she fought against a wave of nausea and the desire to pass out right there.  Adia landed on the roof of the car with a thump as she released her belt.  Fumbling with the handle with blood-slicked fingers, it took her a few seconds before she was free of the wreckage.  Adia rolled out of the car and lay a short distance away.  Pain exploded across her body, it was a fire that sparked through her nerves.  All those nights where she'd felt so dead and numb and here she was definitely alive and so fragile.  _Oh, the **irony**. _

Painfully Adia rolled onto her back and sucked in a breath into her aching chest.  It was still raining, heavier than it had been before.  Against the streaming of rain the horn blasted into the dark forest.  She lay staring up at the purple sky, the rain feeling like thousands of icy needles pricking her face and neck.  Her body ached all over, dimly she was aware of warmth leaking out her side, shallow and raspy breathing reached her ears.  It sounded disembodied and seconds passed before she remembered that it was her struggled breathing that she was hearing.  She was so cold, as her life ebbed and blood flowed from the wounds in her side, her blood mixed with the earth and the rain, forming a murky dark puddle around her.  Just as life seeped out of her, coldness snaked in and took hold deep in her core.  Her body shivered in the cold, but it caused more pain so she held still. 

Blackness blurred the edges of her consciousness as her body begged for oblivion, to put an end to the pain.  Alone in the bitter darkness Adia felt betrayed by her own heart.  With each beat that strove to keep her alive it pumped more blood out of her wounds.  A swell of sorrow washed over her as she realised that this was what she had wished for in her darkest moments.  Pain convulsed through her and she fought to keep still, any movement hurt too much.  Gasping for breath she felt a fire in her chest as she tried to suck in cold air.  

She could feel herself slipping away.  Death reached out to her and tugged, pulling her down and down.  Opening her dark eyes to the skies she watched the rain fall, so numb now feeling neither the pain nor cold.  Her body lay prone and immobile in the rain, the flow of blood from her wounds had slowed to a trickle and she was absently aware that it wouldn't be long until she disappeared from this world forever.

Shadows around her began to twitch before they coalesced into a wavering darkness against the trees.  It advanced on her, sweeping past in a rush of icy air, smelling like acrid rotted flesh, echoing wails of the dead followed as it flew over her.  Adia wondered if it was real, if this was death or if it was the last synaptic sparks of her dying brain playing themselves out in a figment of delirium.  Real terror gripped her; death had come to take away her soul.  The shadow darted about on the edge of her vision.  In a moment of lucidity she realised that despite all her wishes for it all to end, she really wanted to live.  In the shadowy rain her soul cried out to be saved.

High above the storm clouds, past the stars, behind its sister moon; Gaia radiated a deep blue in the vast darkness of space.  

Standing in the throne room of a docked airship a young seer turned to her master.  He looked at her with cold expectance,

"Lord Folken," her voice soft in the shadowy room, "It's time."

The faintest of smiles lifted the corners of his grim-lined lips, "Good.  Bring her to me."

Sora turned back to the wide windows and closed her eyes, "She's calling you."  The seer reached her pale fingers to her forehead.  Wrinkles of strain and concentration appeared under her fingertips.  "She's scared, I can feel her fear; it's so strong.  It has to be now, or we'll lose her."

The Emperor turned to the young man that stood in the middle of the room.  He was dressed in blood red armour, his arms crossed over the pristine white overlay.  Silver hair shone in the moonlight, and scorching scarlet eyes glinted with a deadly fire.

"Dilandau."  Folken addressed him.

The young General turned at the mention of his name and his chin dropped the tiniest of inches at his superior.

"Hai, Folken-sama."  

"Take your men to the East.  Bring back the first girl that you come across." Folken ordered, his calculating eyes back on his seer.  Yes, he would have the Goddess soon.  

Momentarily Dilandau's eyes flickered to the storm clouds that were rolling in, blocking out the moonlight.  Gods, he hated the rain.  Slowly Folken turned back to the General, wondering why he hadn't gone already.  At the back of his neck Dilandau felt the tiny hairs begin to prick up.  The air around him began to shift and he knew that Folken wasn't in the mood to be tested.  Besides, Dilandau liked having working appendages.

"As you wish, Folken-sama."  The older man chose to ignore the undertone of sarcasm as Dilandau nodded curtly and marched out the room.  His eyes were back on Sora, calmly waiting as the rhythmic pounding of Dilandau's stride faded into the distance.  

Death still stalked Adia as she lay in the rain, her dying wish screaming in the heavens.  _I know you hear me!  Save me, **please**! I don't want to die!_

Around her faints wisps of blue smoke began to form in the rain.  They quivered around her like glowing blue sprites, the rain hampering them, but slowly they began to grow.  Death reached out to her again, it touched the smoulders of light and let out a high-pitch keen as though is had been burnt and retreated to the dark, hovering just outside the fragments of blue.  A circle of cerulean smoke grew around Adia, its light pushing away the darkness of death and bathing her in pure warm radiance.  In a rush of wind it exploded around her into a pillar of shifting blue light.  The purple rain clouds above her parted and she saw the black sky jewelled with sparkling stars.  The pain in her body forgotten and she was able to breath freely again.  Lifted up in the impenetrable pillar of light Adia was rocketed into the stratosphere.  

Beneath her in the chilly darkness, death hissed in defeat.  It had been cheated, but it would get its due life, eventually.

~

General Albatou was in nothing short of black mood as he sat astride his steed in what was possibly the worst storm of the year.  Ice-cold wind whipped around him and bitter rain spattered across his face.  Even with his black cloak pulled around him, his body was cold.  Under his cowl the rain still managed to find him, wet spikes of silver hair hung over his piercing eyes.  Reaching up with a red-gloved hand he brushed the wet bangs out of his vision.  As he did so a cold spurt of wind found its way inside his cloak and removed what heat he'd managed to create. 

A feral growl of irritation vibrated in the back of his throat and put the men closest to him on edge.  They were sheltering on a rocky hillside, a crag hanging over them in an attempt to keep them out of the downpour, but with the ever-changing winds it was futile.  The Demon General and his Dragonslayers were mounted and facing the East, waiting for whatever sign it was that pointed out the arrival of Folken's asset.  Dilandau was furious, and his men knew it.  He sat perfectly still on his mount, even as the wind blew against him he barely moved.  His frightening eyes were locked ahead, silver brows angled down into a menacing frown, his strong jaw rigid and lips set in a grim line.  His very demeanour meant that his men were treading very carefully around him.  Dilandau tried to think of other things, to get his mind off the rain that dripped down his neck in cold rivulets.  He was Dilandau Albatou, powerful General of the Black Dragon Ryuugekitai, descendant of the Dragons; could handle anything and anyone that came his way.  But the rain depressed him.  

A soft noise of scorn escaped him as he thought of Folken, it was utterly ridiculous the Emperor sending his best man out into the rain all on the vague whim of a dubious mystic.  Dilandau believed that Sora led Folken around by the nose.  In that aspect Dilandau regarded his superior to be weak, _he'd_ never let a mere woman have such power over him. 

The wind howled around them, and Dilandau absently thought that it sounded like a woman's cry.  Trying to take his mind off the weather Dilandau entertained himself with thoughts of previous battles; the rush of adrenaline as hundreds fell at his feet in waves of delicious crimson.  A sadistic smirk tugged at his lips as he felt his mood lighten just a little, his lids dropping to hood blood-red eyes, leaving him looking extraordinarily fearsome.  Again the wind screamed around them, the chargers beginning to become jittery.  A sharp tug on the reins and a dig of the heels steadied his reliable stallion.  Instinctively his eyes focused on the east, Dilandau dismissed the flickering light in the belly of the storm cloud as lightning, until a beam of light burst forth, the wind sounding like a birthing mother.

Instantly Dilandau took off towards the dissipating beam of light.  Without ordering them to, he knew that his men would be hot on his heels.  The rain began to lessen and the winds died down.  Across the fields they charged, the sodden ground being crushed under hoof.   In the vast rolling meadows he saw a girl lying ahead of them.  Barely slowing his mount he vaulted off the saddle and strode towards the girl.  He frowned down at her, the girl seemingly asleep.  On closer inspection he saw her body to be bruised and battered.  Dilandau knew that she was the one Folken wanted; her garb was strange, tattered, ripped and torn in various places across her body. 

Crouching down, the General reached out a gloved hand to the girl and gave her a non-too gentle shove on the shoulder in an attempt to awaken her, but to no avail.  He could feel his ire rise; here she was faced with the Demon General of Gaia, and she was _sleeping_!

"Jajuka!" He barked, a hound man came instantly to his leader's side and bowed his head.  He wore the armour of the Black Dragon Clan, but it looked wrong on his animal form.  The lieutenant addressed the shogun, 

"Hai, Dilandau-sama."

The General rose to his feet, putting him a bare inch taller than his second.  "Put the girl on the spare.  And be careful; she's wounded."  He growled out the command, his eyes lingering on the red stain leaking across her left side.  If she was indeed the _Tsubasa No Kami _they'd have to be fast in returning to the docked Vione.  Dilandau didn't want to think what Folken would do if the Goddess died before he could use her power.

Jajuka motioned Gatti over, and moved back to let him work quickly.  As he was the Ryuu's medic, Gatti did his best to hastily patch up the girl's wounds before he and Jajuka put her on the spare.

On the General's order they moved out from the borders of Fanelia, returning to their ship as fast as they could with wounded freight.

A flurry of activity announced that Dilandau and his men had returned from the east.  When the messenger had informed Folken of Dilandau's arrival, he wondered why the General had disobeyed his orders to bring the girl straight to him.  Just as he was beginning to think of ways to punish the boy, the messenger informed him that he'd gone straight to the infirmary, apparently the girl they had with them was injured.

Folken's black cloak fluttered around him like a living thing as he made his way down the narrow hospital wing.  Ahead of him healers were rushing around a bed.

"What's going on?"  His voice cut through the professional hubbub of the healers.  The head physician approached Folken and bowed his head,

"Lord Folken, the girl is seriously injured, she has a large gash across the left side of her abdomen, she's lost a lot of blood, we have yet to determine if there's any internal bleeding."  He reported, his words rushed and panicked.

Folken focused his different coloured eyes on the older man, his voice cold and commanding, "You _will_ heal her."

The head doctor quailed under the frightening stare and dreaded to think what would happen to him and his family back home if he failed.  "Y-yes, Emperor Folken." 

Over the next few crucial hours the team of Gaia's highest trained healers worked tirelessly to save the girl's ebbing life.  After determining that she had no internal injuries they worked into the early hours of the morning, stopped the trickles of blood, stitched up the gash and set to treating the various nicks, cuts and scrapes across her body.  The head healer, Kayo, was in a constant state of panic, if the girl didn't survive the night then neither would he.  Without questioning why the girl wore such strange clothes and why their Emperor had such an avid interest in the latest arrival the healers worked on several pastes and elixirs.  Her body was weak after losing so much blood, and there wasn't much more that could be done apart from giving her herbal remedies to replace what nutrients she'd lost.

Eventually, just as the sun was beginning to rise in the east, the weary doctors slowly began to filter out of the operating room.  Pulling off his bloodstained white apron Kayo took a deep steadying breath and made his way along the corridors to Lord Folken's ready room.

Upon entering he got down on his knees and bowed low at the Emperor's feet, touching his head to the floor of dragon bones.

"Your prognosis."  His deadly soft voice seemed to whisper from the shadows, almost if it was disembodied.

Kayo suppressed a shudder and rose to his feet, keeping his head low.  "The bleeding has stopped, my Lord.  She has made it through the most crucial hours.  She needs rest now, I expect her to awaken within three days."

Folken appeared to be happy with this and motioned for Kayo to leave.  Bowing again he backed out of the room and retreated to his quarters to get some much needed sleep.  

Rising from his throne Folken's cloak whispered around him as he walked to the vast windows of the room.  Pulling back the heavy drapes he stopped to watch as the countryside floated by underneath him.  His eyes rose to the east as the red mound of the sun peaked over the horizon.  The _Tsubasa No Kami_ was safely sleeping on his airship; the very girl that could save Gaia or allow Her to drown in flames was in his hold.  A sense of unfamiliar calm washed over Folken as he assured himself that his long awaited desires were running according to plan.

Soon it would all be over.  Yes, it was so close now that he could almost _taste_ it.

~*~

**Note:**  Bangor, Maine is a real place.  To my knowledge there is no such place as Blossom Hill in Michigan, I just made it up.  Blossom Hill is also a brand of wine.

*text* = denotes italics as I can't seem to get them to appear…

Lyrics:  _Shadow of the Season_ ~ Screaming Trees. 


	3. Breathe

Memories flashin' through my head 

Was I just born or am I dead? *

_Chapter Two:  Breathe_

Consciousness eluded her as she floundered in a pulling darkness.  Time and self had no meaning to Adia, she felt nothing, had no memories, knowing only that she was drowning in darkness.  She seemed to be drifting in and out of awareness; occasionally she'd hear murmurs beyond the obscurity, noises of steel ringing against steel…sounds she'd heard before.  Her mind would reach out to them, trying to push back the curtain of dark that enveloped her and bask in the light.  But the inky waters that she floated in sucked her back under and she was back in the timeless indifferent shadows.

Once, her conscious-self pushed back into her body; she could feel the shell that was her body. The solid boundaries pushed against her and she could feel how fragile and weak it was, it was as if her body had shrunk or her consciousness expanded; either way her body felt too tight against her.  Adia was all too aware of the sparking pain across every single nerve of her body, and so when oblivion called she allowed it to pull her under. 

~

The sun was peaking over the eastern horizon of the mysterious girl's first day upon this strange floating fortress.  The younger, less trained doctors had just come on duty to find that there had been a new arrival in the night.  One of the newest recruits upon the Vione took the empty room as an opportunity to have a look at the girl.  

He frowned as he neared her bed; her face was bruised and dirty, still streaked with dried blood from the night before.  The white sheets only served to make her look even more ghostly, she was so pale that he thought her transparent for a fleeting moment as the candlelight flickered across her features. 

Dirty and blood-matted hair hung in limp tangles about her face, but he could imagine it clean and glossy in the sunlight.  Underneath the dirt it looked as though it was ebony silk, very rare he noted.  Eagerly he wondered what colour her eyes were; he could imagine her having beautiful deep azure eyes…maybe even emerald.  A part of him wanted to try to wake her just to see, or if that failed even pull back an eyelid just to have a peek.  But no, that wouldn't do.  

Quickly checking to see if there was anyone around, he peeled back a corner of the hospital sheets, he just made out the white bandages wrapped tightly around her torso before a sharp voice made him leap away,

"Reben!"  The secondary healer snapped, "By the Gods boy!  Just what do you think you're doing?!  Get back to your duties before Lord Folken hears of this and has your head!  Go now!"

"Yes sir."  The boy hung his head sheepishly and scuttled out the door, not before receiving a quick clip to the side of his head.

"Get to it!"  The doctor shouted after him, closing the door to the girl's room as he shook his head muttering to himself.

~

After depositing the girl in the infirmary Dilandau stalked through the corridors of the Vione back to his quarters.  He wanted nothing more than to be left alone in his foul mood and dry off.  Once the heavy door closed behind him he was enveloped in the perpetual shadows of his chambers.  He felt the thumping headache between his eyes lessen as soon as he was away from everyone else on the fortress.

Peeling off most of his outer armour the young General poured himself a large goblet of potent vino.  Slouching onto a high-backed ornamental chair he let his eyes settle on the fire in the hearth.  The large flames flickered, their dance and red light reflected in his crimson irises.  Taking a swig from the goblet he felt the bittersweet liquid slide down his throat, burning as it went.  Dilandau had been restless of late, and his little excursion into the rainy night had done nothing to sate his bloodlust or alleviate his boredom.  He could feel the Dragon Blood burn in his veins, its ancient power stirring his blood and making him fidget in his seat.

He needed something to do, anything to get him away from this damn floating prison for a few days.  He yearned for the freedom of charging across terrain on his steed, the demon within cried out for the rush of combat in his sleep.  His hands itched for activity and his sword whispered memories of past glorious battles.  The agitation of the General was passing onto his men and he was wary that if his men didn't get some decent exercise or have some change in their daily activities then they'd suffer cabin fever.    

Letting out a guttural snarl of pent up aggression and ennui Dilandau hurled his empty goblet against the wall.  The silver cup bounced hollowly off the wall and fell back to the floor, rolling several times before it came to a rest at his boots.  A tiny noise of disgust left his lips as Dilandau's fingers searched for his dagger.  Holding the tip precariously in his fingertips he expertly twitched his wrist and sent it spinning into the air.  It spiralled, the double-edged metal catching the firelight and reflected it back in rays of amber.  He caught the hilt in his hand and repeated the process, his hands occupied and his mind free to wander.

              Dilandau didn't know how long he sat in the chair, only that when he finally roused from his waking trance the fire had turned to glowing embers in the hearth and dull grey light filtered in through the gaps in his curtains.  Raising his stiff form from its seated position the General stretched his sore body, joints cracking as he pulled and moved parts that had been still for hours.  He let out an involuntary yawn and cleared the floor in long strides.  Grasped in a firm fist the dark drapes were flung back, ruby eyes squinting against the assault of bright dawn light.  Lazily Dilandau watched the ground glide beneath the floating fortress, slowly tilting his head upwards to look to the skies.  A chilling sinister chuckle left his lips and echoed in the cavernous chambers even as he stopped.  The corner of the General's lips lilted up into a smirk and his eyes glittered with a sadistic mirth.

Dragging the heavy door open he stalked down the corridors of the Vione in search of Folken.

The Emperor in question was in his study leafing through sheaves of yellowing parchments, apparently searching their text for something.  His door was unceremoniously flung open as the arrogant General strolled in at an anti-climactic lackadaisical pace.  

Interrupted from his run of thought Folken blankly watched the General over the edge of a particularly long scroll. With an air of excitement that had been missing from him of late, the General dropped into a chair across Folken's desk with enviable cat-like grace.    Dilandau appeared to be extremely amused about something, snickering lowly, eyes burning as he pawed at his cheek.  Calmly the Emperor laid the scroll down on his glossed mahogany desk, and watched the General over his tented fingers. 

"Well, General, I'm surprised to see you up so early.  No hangover this morning?" Folken asked scathingly.

Dilandau simply leaned back in the winged chair and grinned in his not-quite-sane manner.  An exasperated breath left Folken's thin lips as he glowered at the boy across from him.

"What do you want?"  He snapped tersely.  

"It's a beautiful day outside, why don't you take a look out your window and enjoy the morning?"  The General kept his face straight, but made no effort to hide the laughter in his voice.

"I don't have time for your games Dilandau; I'm in the middle of something very important.  Will you get to the point before I drag it out if you?"  Folken used a tone akin to that of a tired and over-worked parent speaking to a particularly aggravating five-year-old.  

Annoyingly, Dilandau's only reaction was the widening of his smirk.  

Emperor Folken leaned back in his chair, the single ribbon of morning light that escaped the heavy curtains cut across his face, half in bright light, the other hidden in shadows.  Mismatched dark eyes, intelligent and cold bore a steady gaze into the General, from where he was sitting Dilandau could only see one eye, and that presented an even more chilling sight.  "Stop playing games Dragon General.  What is it that you're hiding?" The voice of the sovereign across from him came out in an unpleasantly cold monotone; Dilandau could almost feel himself slipping into a trance that Folken was often able to induce through his pure Dragon Blood.  Blocking out Folken's probing thoughts with impenetrable mental walls; Dilandau raised his arm and gestured in the direction of the window. 

 "Look out the window.  The dawn has a surprise for you."

Folken rose imperiously and silently, with his body swathed in a black cloak his head look disembodied.  His head seemed to float across the room as the shadows carried his body to the window.  A white hand appeared from the dark and tossed back the heavy drapes.  The curtain rings scraped across the pole like claws, the vast study becoming bathed in the pale blue light of autumn's dawn.  His vision ran across the sight presented to him, they were floating over a mountain range, the sun barely cresting the high peaks that glistened in the increasing sunlight after the previous night's storm.  The pale moon sat as a white disk against blue sky, it sat alone.  Instantly Folken saw what was missing, his realisation marked by the mocking snickers of the General.  Rage bubbled in Folken's veins as he cursed at being hindered again.  

With the appearance of the _Tsubasa No Kami_ the Mystic Moon was to materialise in the sky, fulfilling the first part of the prophecy.  This time, there was no glowing Phantom Moon only its sister moon could be seen.  

The girl was not the Wing Goddess…

Folken spun round sending his dark cloak billowing around him.  Dilandau was standing upright, chuckling deeply in the back of his throat pawing affectionately at his left cheek.  The incensed Emperor stormed past Dilandau ignoring the boy as he continued to laugh.

"Looks like your precious seer was wrong," Dilandau called out in a jeering tone, "I always did think she led you around by the nose."

Folken halted in the doorway and slowly turned back, his normally cold eyes alight with anger as he glowered at the General. He slowly advanced on the boy, itching to release his anger and power to hear the satisfying cracks of fragile bones breaking.  But, Dilandau did not back down he continued to stroke his cheek a smug expression on his face.

"What will you do with the girl now, Lord Folken?"  He taunted. 

Slowly, the older man closed his eyes and reigned in his anger.  When they reopened Folken's face was the picture of deadly calm and, ignoring the room's other occupant turned, and left in search of Sora and his answers. 

               Sora, a young elf-like woman, stood at the window in a room on the higher decks of the floating fortress.  She had already seen that the Mystic Moon was missing from Gaia's morning sky.  Faintly, she could feel Folken approaching, his anger dispensing off in waves.  He was getting closer, hunting her down to explain this disturbance to his plans.  The doors opened and the Emperor seemed to float in, cloak wrapped tightly around him like a shadow.  Those frightening eyes locked on Sora, she could feel the anger that burned in them even as she didn't turn.

"Explain this!"  Just like that, no preamble, straight to the point.

Sora decided to follow his example, "The girl is not the Goddess."  She said softly.

"I know that!" he spat, "Why did you tell me that she was?"

Sora sighed sadly and touched her fingertips to the windowpane, "She's so like you Lord Folken; so apathetic to everyone around her, ignores the ones who care for her…" the seer drifted off, her gaze still out the window.

Folken remained in silence, his focus honed on the lonely moon over Sora's shoulder.  After a short silence the seer spoke up again, her voice soft yet strong.

"All the signs were pointing to her…I thought she was the one.  The one that could save or destroy us all.  But maybe…maybe she has another purpose here.  She may not be the Goddess but that is not to say that she will be useless."

"What use is she to me now?"  He muttered bitterly.

"I would not have been able to call her here if she had no purpose on this world.  Her Fate was to come here…she can never go back."  

"Why not?"  Folken asked, his interest peaked.   

Sora watched a bird of prey as it soared across the sky, caught on an updraft of Dragon Wind it rose in her vision.  Pulling its wings in, Sora frowned as it bomb-dived back into the forest's canopy seizing its quarry.

"The girl came here because she cried out to be saved.  It is only through an individual's will, permission really, that I can successfully bring someone to this world.  The girl was faced with two choices as she lay there; she was dying, I offered her a choice of life.  Coming here saved her life…but she can never go back.  Her Fate on the Mystic Moon was to die that night; she was never supposed to live beyond it.  On Gaia she can live, but if she was ever to try to return she would die."

Frowning at her back, Folken's lips twisted into a sneer, "That still doesn't explain why you told me she was the Goddess."

"Magic is not always clear, Lord Folken.  The Spirits told me that she must come here…not _why_ just that she must.  I would not have been able to summon her here if it were not for her choice and that she must have a purpose."  Sora explained, turning back to Folken as she finished.

The Emperor mused on Sora's words for a miet before he slowly nodded, "She will awaken soon.  She is of the Mystic Moon and may still have some use to me…until I determine what, I must deal with her."

The young seer could only imagine what her Lord had in mind for the new arrival, "You can't put her in the dungeons."  Her voice sounded slightly reprimanding, "You took her from her world, and now you have a responsibility to her-"

"I'm the Emperor!"  He snarled, "I can do as I please.  I wanted the Goddess not a worthless child."

Sora watched sadly as Folken turned and stalked from the room, "As you wish Folken-sama."  She sighed.  

~

Two days and three nights passed after Adia's arrival before she finally began to show signs of stirring upon the third morning.  It was early, the night shift were yet to be relieved by the day staff, and no one was watching over the girl as her eyelids began to flutter. Slowly, she began to awaken, her dark eyes opening fully, the thick fog that clung to her mind beginning to disperse.  Blinking, she tried to clear her vision and make sense of what she was seeing.  The spartan, clinical smelling room didn't look familiar to her at all.  Just where the hell was she?  After a few minutes the disorientation began to fade and her memory came back, albeit slowly and in fragments.  Closing her eyes, disjointed scenes played in her mind; rain poured down all around her; tyres screeched; lights cut through the dark; metal twisted and someone screamed in her ears.  Then she was falling into the dark, twin beams of light fading away from her, then pain flared across her body.  She remembered Death stalking her from the shadows, the darkness, a soft voice calling to her, and then the saving light.  Adia recalled that night, but was still in the dark when it came to where she was.  Shifting on the narrow cot, Adia moaned as pain seized her body, it felt like thousands of insects biting at her nerve ends.  She nearly blacked out, but took a deep steadying breath and warily let her body drop back down to thin mattress.  Fighting to keep herself still, her breath came in forced deep inhalations; she didn't want to go back into the disorientating darkness again.  

Again she took in the sparse room around her, the grey tiled floors, the small window and a metal-looking door on the opposite side.  Questions bombarded her mind and her head started to pound.  Where was she?  What happened after the light?  Was this just a dream?  She groaned in pain and clutched at her side.  No, this hurt too much not to be real.

A hissing noise from the far side of the room made Adia's eyes pop open.  The metal door began to slide back; she held her breath as someone stepped through the doorway.  A tall man with spiky aqua-blue hair entered.  His high-collared cloak reminded Adia of a bat for some insane reason.  She could sense that he was someone important just by the way he held himself.  As he turned her breath caught in her throat; it was him!  The man from her dream stood in front of her clad in black.  He regarded her with a gaze not unlike that of a scientist examining a new experiment and Adia found herself squirming despite the pain.  Just with him standing before her in silence she could feel the power that he held, the influence that he implemented.  The silence was thick and heavy, as the seconds dragged by it was as though the silence became a living thing.  It began to pulse, growing steadily until it became a deafening roar in her ears. Finally it broke,

"Where am I?"  Adia squeaked  

The man advanced on her, tall and wide, she backed up against the wall, huddling under the thin blankets in fear.  Folken stopped at the foot of her bed and glared down at her, his face impassive and dark eyes burning with a cold anger.

"You're not her."  He accused as if it were her fault for not being someone else.

Confused, Adia swallowed, her tongue feeling like a foreign strip of dry leather in her mouth, "Who?"  She rasped.

"_Tsubasa no Kami_."  He said, the accusatory tone not lifting.

Again, she had to swallow to wet her dry throat and forced her unused vocal chords to work and her tongue to form the words, "What's…what's a Tsu…?"  She halted, unable to pronounce the foreign, previously unheard words.

"_Tsubasa no Kami_."  He snapped, anger seeping into his voice.  "Goddess of Wings.  You're not her."

She was at a loss for words.  Goddess?  She just didn't understand; what did he want from her?  Why had he brought her here if she wasn't the one?  Where was _here_?

Again, "Where am I?" left her lips.  

Not looking up she heard him inhale, then his voice came out deep but dispassionate, "You are on Gaia."  He cut her off before she could question him again, "I am Emperor Folken leader of the Black Dragon Clan.  You are upon my personal floating fortress, the Vione.  I brought you here, to my world to Gaia, because you were dying upon your world. I saved you.  This," he gestured around him, "is the hospital wing of my fortress.  You were brought in by my special forces three days ago."

Her only reaction was repeated blinking and her agape mouth.  It was too much to digest in her shocked and injured state.  

"Oh."  Was all she could muster at that point.  

Folken retreated a few steps, "Get up."  He commanded. 

She didn't think that her body would be able to, but slowly she sat upright.  Swinging her legs off the bed she pushed up.  Waving unsteadily on her feet Adia felt her head spin, but to her credit she didn't collapse at the pain of her wound stretching. Following him as he crossed the small room, she stopped as he reached the window and turned to her.

"Look out.  It should explain a few things."

She did as was told, leaning against the wall for support.  Water pricked at the corners of her eyeballs and the crisp morning light hurt her eyes.   Clear blue sky domed above her, beneath them as they floated along the land passed by in patchworks of greens and browns.  It, at least, explained to her the kind of vessel she was on.  Considering that she'd just been told she was on a different planet, Adia was taking the news quite well.  In reality, her mind hadn't fully registered the magnitude of her situation.

She could hear a voice, but it took a few seconds to actually hear the words, "…You're not the one I wanted.  But still, I will find a use for you.  Until then, I'm afraid I can't have you wandering the halls of the Vione.  You will remain in the dungeons until I find a suitable place for you."

She faltered, taking choppy steps backward from him, "What? Dungeons?  But I-"  

Her protests were cut off when the door opened again and two large men dressed in non-descript slate-grey armour came in.

"Lord Folken."  They intoned together, bowing as they did so.

"Take her to the dungeons.  Keep her away from the other prisoners and pass the order to the General Albatou that one of his men must be stationed outside her cell at all times."  Folken demanded, his cold unwavering gaze on Adia all the while.

"Hai, Folken-sama."

They came for her and she backed off, not getting far because of the small room's walls and her injuries.  Firm hands gripped her arms and yanked her from the room, Folken ignored her cries and turned back to the window.  The land passing under turned from farms into small villages, soon they would be back in Black Dragon territory and from there it was onward to the capital, Zaibach.  

~

               She was completely and utterly confused.  The turn of events of the past few days had her disorientated and not functioning as she did in normal circumstances. It was in the midst of this perplexity that Adia was being dragged to the bowels of the floating fortress.  Her body was still weak from its injuries and at times she found it hard to keep up with the strides of the guards.  Flanking the girl on either side the guards grabbed her arms and she half-walked, was half dragged along to the dungeons.  

The guard on her right flung open a heavy steel door and she was roughly pushed through.  The stench of the prison hit Adia and she felt her stomach wrench in response.  Down here the air reeked of sweat, urine and the metallic ring of blood.  The corridor seemed to stretch ahead of her endlessly, on either side for as far as she could see there were the iron-barred doors of cells.  With an impolite shove the guards pushed her through and down the hallway.  As they passed the male occupants of the cells jeered and catcalled, Adia recoiled in disgust and dug her heels into the flagstones beneath her.

"Move it." The one on the left grunted and jerked her ahead.  The tug pulled her body sharply and she felt her wounds stretch painfully.  Letting out a jagged cry of pain, she let herself go limp and be dragged further and further into the innards of the dungeons.

Coming to a stop after several agonising minutes, the door to a cell was rolled back and Adia abruptly tossed in.  Throwing her arms out in front she caught herself before her face smashed into the filth below.  The final clang of the door shutting behind her caused Adia to whirl round and stare as the guards locked her in and left her alone, chuckling in great mirth as they went.

"Bastards."  She hissed.   

Alone in the dank cell, Adia was left to take in her newest accommodation.  Lining the far wall was a thin plank of wood, covered by a worn and dirty grey blanket.  There was a tiny rectangle cut in the slippery wall; even if it had been big enough for her to fit through, it was barred and with the latest knowledge that she was on a great floating ship Adia didn't fancy escaping prison just to fall to her death.  Tears welled in her eyes upon the realisation that she was stuck here and at the mercy of a frightening man, all because she hadn't been the one he wanted.  _Well now, isn't that just typical._   

Painfully rising from her heap on the floor Adia sat on the pathetic excuse for a bed and curled into herself trying to find some comfort.  Distantly the sound of approaching footsteps made her turn her head in the direction of the door. An ash-blond soldier dressed in blue armour stopped at her door and turned his back on her, taking up his position as guard.  Rolling onto her uninjured side, Adia faced the jagged and slimy wall and tried to sleep.  It was the only escape that she had.

               Positioned far away from the other prisoners Gatti stood uncomfortably at the iron barred door of the girl's cell. He'd been there for a few hours now, and the girl's silence had turned into sobbing. Inside, on top of the small cot she was curled her weeping echoing in the grim dungeon.  Gatti may have been a Dragonslayer, but he was also a man.  He truly felt his heart go out to this poor girl.  He wondered why Lord Folken would put her down here.  Really, what harm could one young girl do to the almighty Black Dragon Empire?

He berated himself for such thoughts, who was he to question the Emperor's orders?  He was a mere soldier; years of training had drilled into him the doctrine of following orders to the letter and without question.  It was none of his concern.

But still, her crying put him on edge, made him feel guilty as though he should be alleviating her pain.  The girl's tears were not the pretend tears of a flighty woman, but the gut wrenching, body wracking spasms of sorrow.  Hiccupped, half-suppressed wails that told of great despair.  The aching of a lost girl who had no one and literally nothing but the clothes on her back.

Deep in the dungeons of the Vione, Adia drowned in her chasm of misery and Gatti had no choice but to let her. 

Adia began to fold inside herself.  When a situation became too unbearable she curled into herself and let her imagination take her away.  Take her to fantasy places where there is nothing to fear.  To memories of happier times.  Her crying slowly subsided as she retreated back into her own mind.  Although this time it didn't work as well.  When she drifted back she was reminded only of the time she last visited, and she remembered where she was and what was lost.  And so a vicious cycle of retreating and awakening began.

Adia spent the night lying on her harsh prison cot wallowing in waking misery.

~*~

**Acknowledgements:**  Thanks to **LittleDende**, **Izzy** & **stargazin** for their kind reviews of chapter one.  ^_^

**Notes:** Chapter One – _So Tired_, has been edited and changed in parts.

I'm aware that this is alarmingly short.  The original version of chapter 2 was nearing the 20 page mark, and because of all the difficulties that ff.net has been having lately I couldn't upload it.  So it has been cut into several different chapters which are being edited and reformatted as I type.   

* = _The Morning After_, Faith No More


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